|
'Witch' hacked to death
10/01/2008 18:52 - (SA)
Tonga - An elderly man who was accused of bewitching people has been hacked to death while sleeping outside his house on Tuesday night.
Mbulawa Zacharia Magagula, 61, of Mgobodzi village near the Swaziland border in Mpumalanga had decided to sleep outside the front door because it was hot, said Constable Mzwandile Nyambi on Thursday.
"At about 20:30 his wife heard him shout for help. When she and the children rushed outside, they saw a group of men running away with bush knives in their hands," he said.
She told police it was too dark for her to identify them.
When police arrived, they found Magagula was already dead. He had been slashed across his head and body.
Police believe that two men who beat Magagula up at his house on December 31 after accusing him of witchcraft last month may be involved.
On December 31, two brothers were arrested and charged with assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm and contravening the Witchcraft Act.
They appeared in the Tonga Magistrate's Court on January 2 and are out on R1 000 bail each.
They are scheduled to appear in court again on January 14, and have not yet been asked to plead.
|
News
